What our parents say

2026: A record 100% ‘Very Satisfied’ (92%) or ‘Satisfied’ (8%)

Asked in our most recent confidential survey (July 2026) about their overall satisfaction with their child’s experience at Herne Hill School over the past academic year, an unprecedented 100% of the 131 respondents (one third of our parent body) said that they were either ‘Satisfied’ or ‘Very satisfied’, topping our 2025 and 2024 results of 99% and 98%, respectively. In the light of our parents’ understandably high expectations, we are very proud of their feedback.

Parents know best

Given how difficult it is to measure provision outcomes at our pupils’ very young age, we attach great importance to the views of our parents. They are close to all we do and witness first-hand how their children progress, and to what extent we deliver against our ambitious stated aims.

July 2026 parent satisfaction survey

The survey was carried out in an entirely anonymous fashion in early July 2026 via SurveyMonkey.

131 responses, representing about a third of our pupil body, were received from all year groups (23% from Year 2, 11% Year 1, 23% Reception, 32% Pre-Reception and 11% Kindergarten). The response split for boys / girls was 56% / 44%, which is also fairly representative of our pupil body.

The response to the overarching question of “Overall, how satisfied are you with your child’s experience at Herne Hill School this year?” was an average rating of 4.9 (out of 5.0) based on:

92% Very satisfied (120 responses)
8% Satisfied (11)
0% Neutral (0)
0% Dissatisfied (0)
0% Very dissatisfied (0)

This high level of satisfaction is consistent with, and even slightly surpassing, the levels achieved in the two previous years. In the July 2025 survey, 99% were either ‘Very satisfied’ (91%) or ‘Satisfied’ (8%), and in July 2024 the result was 98+% satisfaction, but with a split of rounded 85% ‘Very satisfied’ and 14% ‘Satisfied’.

The July 2026 results for the additional, more specific satisfaction rating questions are posted below. We are especially pleased with how high and consistent the ratings are across all domains of our provision, as we believe this reflects our efforts towards supporting the development of ‘the whole child’.

Average ratings out of 5.0, in the order of the questions asked:

4.7 Overall
4.8 Language & communication
4.6 Mathematical
4.5 Scientific
4.7 Creative and artistic
4.7 PE/Physical

4.7 The world we live in
4.7 Musical & drama
4.4 IT/Technological
4.5 French

Average ratings out of 5.0, in the order of the questions asked:

4.9 Overall
4.7 Self-understanding and confidence
4.7 Interpersonal, social and team working skills
4.6 Respecting diversity and cultural understanding
4.7 Understanding of how to stay safe and healthy (physically and mentally)
4.8 Attitude towards and enjoyment of learning

Average ratings out of 5.0, in the order of the questions asked:

4.9 Ethos
5.0 Friendliness and atmosphere
4.8 Lunches/catering
4.8 Learning support

4.9 Facilities and resources
4.7 Wrap-around care (breakfast club & after-school care)
4.7 Individual music tuition

Average ratings out of 5.0, in the order of the questions asked:

4.8 Information about the school’s routines and policies
4.7 Information about my child’s performance and progress
4.6 Weekly newsletter and website parent zone
4.9 Responses to questions, concerns and complaints (including timeliness)
4.9 The school’s administration (including helpfulness)
4.9 The school’s leadership and management

Additional qualitative parent perspectives

In addition to rating their level of satisfaction and providing comments in each of the above sections, parents were also asked some open-ended questions to provide further perspectives. Many of them made use of this, and we have provided below several such comments from the most recent July 2025 survey, by year group.

The greatest selection is from Year 2 parents. We consider their views to be particularly valuable as they span the entire Herne Hill experience, including the 7+ transition process. Their favourable comments suggest that, with hindsight, they feel they made the right decision to enrol their child in our Pre-Prep.

HHS is such a nurturing environment, which enables children to build their confidence. There is a healthy respect for diversity and inclusion, which the children clearly benefit from. The emphasis on soft skills is, and will continue, to be one of the most important things as this generation enters the future world of work in 15 years. More than academic attainment, I believe this will make the biggest difference in their personal and professional lives.
HHS’ greatest strengths are its food offering and food education; learning through play and nurturing inquisitiveness; and focus on early years.
The atmosphere and ethos of the school is second to none. Without doubt. The teachers who our son has had in his time from Kindergarten to Year 2 have all been outstanding and have made him who he is academically today. The staff have always offered the correct level assistance to help push his boundaries which we feel has put him in good stead as an all rounder (especially Mathematics!) for his future academic endeavours.
You were exactly what we needed for our very special little boy. You nurtured him, brought him out of his shell and gave him so many of the skills he needed to improve his confidence and to help him start to make his way in the world. We shall never forget the extraordinary lengths that you went to for him and us. Thank you so much.
The school’s inclusive and caring ethos helps individuals to flourish. Each child is championed to achieve their best.
It’s such a nurturing school with a friendly atmosphere. It succeeds in making learning fun and there’s always additional things going on for the kids to enjoy, like trampolining or making dens outside, and making the best use of the woodland area with bbqs and outdoor days.
Herne Hill remains the happiest and best-run school we know. It has set an impossibly high standard to follow!
We joined Herne Hill School with the core objective that our son would gain the skills to progress to one of the highly competitive Prep Schools. The School has delivered on this core objective, but most impressively to us, has done so by nurturing him into a young boy with great values and great spirit. Thank you for educating our son so brilliantly!
Having our kids at the school has been the best decision we ever made. The school has so many strengths: brilliant teachers and leadership, teaching the kids a love of learning, understanding who they are and working with parents to bring out the best in them, and helping them feel comfortable striving and being confident.
HHS is such an amazing school. They know and care for each child individually and create a safe, fun and caring environment for them to thrive in. Every teacher our son has had throughout his time at the school has really understood him, encouraged his strengths and helped him to improve and develop without judgement or the need to stop him being himself.
HHS gives individual support based on the strengths of the child, and there is such a collaborative approach with parents. We couldn’t have asked for more. Thank you!

Sending our son to HHS was the best decision we ever made! The friendliness and enthusiasm of the staff for establishing and encouraging learning atmosphere are huge.
HHS provides such a nurturing environment. Letting our boy be a ‘medium fish in a small pond’ has been invaluable in terms of growing and nurturing his confidence and love of learning.
The setting and environment are outstanding – stealth academia in an incredibly nurturing and loving environment.
We are blessed and grateful for this wonderful school. It has a genuine love for the craft of education in a serious and meaningful way. Thank you.

The ethos is lived and it shows in everything: what our son has learnt, the way in which it is taught, his happiness, the friendly atmosphere.
HHS creates a loving and nurturing environment where the children genuinely enjoy spending time. Our daughter has benefited from the attentiveness of the staff and the incredibly personal experience she’s enjoyed.
We’d simply like to say thank you to everyone at Herne Hill School for making our daughter’s first year at school such a happy and positive experience. She has flourished academically, socially and emotionally, and that is a credit to the dedication, kindness and enthusiasm of the entire team.
We’ve always felt that our daughter is known and cared for as an individual, and we’re incredibly grateful for that. We look forward to seeing her continue her journey at Herne Hill School in Year 1.
Herne Hill is just the most amazing school – all of the staff are so committed from the Head to the catering staff – everyone seems really happy to be there and to be part of what the school is doing and all pulling in the same direction.
The school is so nurturing and the individual care and attention take to each student is mind blowing. It is just as academic as my son’s school (a top London prep) but done in a much less assuming way. I can’t rate the school highly enough. Thank you so much Herne Hill!
HHS is a truly magical place. Its greatest strength in my view is that it just focuses on early years education. This allows them to centre all their resources on ages 2-7.
Everything about the school and its teachers and other staff is excellent and wonderful. But probably its greatest asset is the lovely friendly and supportive atmosphere and ethos.

The staff are all fantastic; there is such a friendly, lovely atmosphere, really nurturing. It has been so great for our boy who was so shy when he started and now loves going to school!
The school creates such a wonderful nurturing atmosphere in which the children take centre stage. The staff are at the forefront of this success. They are all so dedicated, positive and enthusiastic, that it rubs off on the children. Beautiful space and facilities of course too, and absolutely everything down to the catering, and the way events involve parents is just brilliant. You are a wonderful school!
My son’s class and its staff have been phenomenal! He has been so excited to come to school every day, and has truly come out of his shell during the course of this year. He has learned so many things, all so cleverly taught through play, and has occasionally been disappointed by my arrival for pick-up at after school club as he is on a roll with play at the school. I am beyond impressed and cannot sing this team’s praises enough. Thank you deeply!
We just love HHS and are happy to have our son complete his primary education there. A strong point has been the emotional support and understanding of his needs as he moved from toddler to child, particularly where challenging behaviour is concerned.
The ethos really sets HHS apart from other schools, and the love and care elements are really felt by the children and parents.
The school manages to promote learning and success in a supportive environment without pressure. It is a beautiful place to learn with a talented bunch of teachers.
HHS is such a hugely welcoming environment which truly nurtures children in this critical early phase. I always find it amazing that everyone knows my daughter’s name! She has been supported to develop in such a fun and positive way.
Our daughter skips into school and comes home having taken huge leaps in so many directions. All she thinks she’s done is play and have fun! The joyous nature of learning is such a credit to the school. She adores Herne Hill School.
HHS has a lovely nurturing atmosphere, great outdoor space, strong play focus and incredible range of resources and activities. The weekly fruit-veg-flavour taster trays are a brilliant idea!

We are very impressed with, and grateful for, the fantastic start to schooling our son has had. HHS is a very kind place – something we place a premium on in our lives. The fact that our son has been known to wake up on weekends and ask “is it a school day?” and then be sad when it isn’t, really says everything!
There is a good balance between caring and teaching. We like to see our children getting familiarised with letters, reading, numbers, languages while keeping in mind they are still children. The staff are genuinely caring and provide all the attention and emotional support we could wish for.
HHS feels like a warm and supportive environment – a home away from home. We couldn’t be more delighted with our son’s progress. He’s more confident and clearly feels very secure and supported. Thank you.
HHS offers an amazing atmosphere, opportunities and overall care for our girl. She has loved being part of Kindergarten and is looking forward to next year.
The School’s culture, care and devotion towards the children are great strengths. Our boy has grown in confidence hugely over the last year.